So does God expect us to shut our mouths and never say anything? Are we not allowed to express our opinions? Or discuss, deliberate, or disagree? Does godly womanhood mean we get out the duct tape and slap and “X” over our mouths?  That we mutley nod our heads up and down like bobble head dolls?

When the Bible talks about quietness, it’s not referring to an absence of verbal noise as much as it’s referring to an absence of spiritual noise. Although there’s a connection, quietness has more to do with the state of our hearts than the quantity and volume of our words.

Quiet describes a mindset of calmness, serenity and tranqulity. It’s being settled, steadfast, and peaceful. A quiet dispostion is like a still, peacefull pool of water, as opposed to a churning, agitated whirlpool. A quiet spirit is the opposite of an anxious, distressed, disorderly, and clamourous one.

I think Amy Carmichael got the idea right in her poem, “Give Me a Quiet Mind” in which she cries out to the Lord to give her this beautiful disposition:

GIVE ME A QUIET MIND

When winds are blowing, waves are rising, falling
And all the air is full of dust and spray;
When voices, like to sea birds’ plaintive calling,
Confuse my day;

Then, then I know Thee, Lord of highest heaven
In newborn need discover Thee, and find
Nought can discomfort him to whom is given
A quiet mind.

When hopes have failed, and heavy sadness crusheth,
And doubt and fear would weave their deadly spell,
Then thought of Thee my troubled spirit husheth;
And all is well.

In midnight hours when weariness ignoreth
Heaven’s starry host, and battle wounds are mine,
Then Thy right hand uplifteth and outpoureth
Love’s oil and wine.

O Blessed Lord, beyond the moment’s sorrow
I see above, beaneath, before, behind–
Eternal Love. Give me today, tomorrow,
A quiet mind.

(From the collected poems of Amy Carmichael)

Related posts:

1. The Playground of Your Mind
2. Give Roukea Life for Lent – Week 3
3. Give Life for Lent – Week 4

During Sunday night ”singsperation” time– when people got to call out requests for hymns– I knew that if Mr. Purdie called out number 513, we’d be singing “He the Pearly Gates Will Open” again. It was his favorite. Number 206 meant I’d better get my fingers limber, because the pace of ”Wonderful Grace of Jesus” always resembled a train hurtling full throttle down a steep hill. I loved it when someone asked for number 40  — Great is Thy Faithfulness. That one, I could play without looking.

Over the next 25 years of my involvement on worship teams, I transitioned from playing the piano, to my first electric piano–a Fender Rhodes, to an ever-changing array of synthesizers. The trend moved from hymns to choruses to modern-day worship music. But those old hymns of my childhood still echo in my mind rich with doctrine. Today, I’m meditating on number 57… ”Jesus, I am Resting.” I love the thought of “resting in the joy” of who Jesus is. I hope you do too, and that these words encourage you:

—————————————-

Jesus, I am resting, resting  In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transfoming power Thou hast made me whole.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart –
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its ev’ry need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory, Sunshine of my father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting, Fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art,
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.

( Jean Sophia Pigott, 1845-1882)

Related posts:

1. O Love that will not let me go

Women of Yesterday:

Perpetua  (181- 203)

The North African Perpetua, was of noble birth and the mother of an infant son when she was arrested in Carthage after the Roman edict prohibited Christians from teaching or making converts. Perpetua refused to deny her faith and thus, was  sentenced to death by being thrown before wild beasts in an arena. After she was mauled by the first animal, she begged her brother to take back a message to her family. “Tell them they must love one another and not allow our suffering to keep them from the faith.” These were her last words.

Monica, mother of the theologian Augustine (331-387)

Augustine said of his mother, “She shows herself such a peacemaker between differing and discordant spirits.” These characteristics and 18 years of constant prayer made her the woman in 1 Peter 3:1-6. Her husband was won over to the faith because of godly conduct and her rebellious son, Augustine, later repented and helped save Christianity when the Roman Empire fell.

Katherine Luther (1499-1552)

Katherine began as a humble nun who later on became the wife of a former monk named, Martin Luther. She was truly a Proverbs 31 woman who made sure she was a help mate to her husband whilst he was leading the German Reformation and posted his ninety-five theses against the Catholic Church. Her husband trusted her because she brought good to him all the days of her life. Luther even said this about his “Beloved Kate,” “ I would not change my Katie for France and Venice, because God has given her to me, and she is true to me and a good mother to my children.”

Anne Askew (1521-1546)

This young woman took a brave stand against the Roman Catholic Church. Anne believed that Christ’s real body and blood were not in the sacraments (Lord’s Supper) and stated she would rather read five lines of Scripture than hear five masses in the temple. Because she would not deny these true beliefs of hers, the Church imprisoned and tortured her until she would recant. But she would not and therefore, they took her crippled body and burned her alive at the stake. She never wavered in faith or stopped going to the Lord in prayer, even while in chains.

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Amy gave 35 years of service as a single, pioneer missionary in India. While there she opened an orphanage, founded a mission, and started the Dohnavur Fellowship. This fellowship helped save over 1,000 young children from forced prostitution in the Hindu Temples. Her heart can be seen through this famous quote of hers: “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.”

Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983)

The Ten Boom family opened their home to give refuge to dozens of Jews fleeing the Nazis. This led to their imprisonment in the Ravensbruck Holocaust concentration camp. Corrie was the only survivor of her family and was known for her heart and teachings on forgiveness. She personally lived this out when she had to face-to-face forgive one of the cruelest Ravensbruck camp guards when they met later on in life.

Women of Today

Carolyn McCulley

Carolyn, once highly influenced by feminist thinking,  is now a compelling advocate for biblical womahood. She is not only the author of Radical Womanhood and Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?, Carolyn is also the founder of a documentary company, CityGate Films that “exists to create spiritual, humanitarian and social justice topics to inspire viewer response.”

Priscilla Shirer

This young, vivacious mother of 3 is one of the up and coming women’s Bible teachers.  She’s written many bible studies so far including, Discerning the Voice of God: How To Know When God Speaks and is becoming one of the most sought out conference speakers. She’s dedicated to her family and to the expository teaching of God’s Word to women.

Dannah Gresh

Dannah, author of  Lies Young Women Believe and What Are You Waiting For?, is revolutionizing teenage girls with the truths of Scripture. Her ministry, Pure Freedom, helps daughters and moms connect and shows them the value of purity and biblical womanhood. She’s a fun, passionate, and relatable speaker that will be helping change  the lives of young women for years to come!

Who are the Women of Tomorrow?

YOU AND ME

Our faith will be reported all over the world (Rom. 8:1). We will not be ashamed of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16). We will be women who value the family and Church, teaching sound doctrine to other women, so that the Word of God will not be reviled (Titus 2:5).

I pray that, we, as the next generation of Christian women, will rise up and become like those we’ve just read about. Let’s be women that the younger generation can look to as an example. Let’s be women that never stop growing in knowledge, faith, and love of our Lord Jesus Christ! Let’s be a step above the rest!

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The set-apart women I admire most all had one very important thing in common; they were passionately, ardently, fervently in love with Jesus Christ.  They put Jesus Christ above pleasure, riches, comforts, family, friends, and worldly applause.  And they put Jesus Christ far above their own agenda.

Amy Carmichael sacrificed her right to be married and chose instead to spend her life rescuing 1,000 children from being sold into temple prostitution in India.  Her romance with Jesus Christ far exceeded the most beautiful fairy tale ever written.

Sabina Wurmbrandt sacrificed her right to live “happily ever after” with the love of her life, Richard, when it came down to a choice between saving her husband and standing up for her first Love, Jesus Christ.  She inspired her husband to stand against those who were blaspheming Christ’s name, and as a result she and Richard were separated for ten long years.

Gladys Alyward spent all of her youth and beauty in a war-torn Chinese village – rather than pining after men – choosing service for the Kingdom of God over marriage, family and the comforts of this world.  And as a result, a hundred violent prisoners were subdued into quiet obedience, two hundred orphan’s lives were saved and thousands were pulled out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.

Catherine Booth laid down her right to a comfortable marriage and family life – not only allowing her husband to pour out his life for the destitute and dying, but serving right by his side as he did so.  She chose all-night prayer gatherings, long days trudging through slums, and attack from the modern church over a stable existence in a cute home with a white picket fence.

When I study these women’s lives, I am astounded and inspired by their level of commitment to Jesus Christ.  They didn’t just say He was their first love; they lived it.  Whether they gave up their right to be married in order to serve Christ, or gave up the “happily ever after” lifestyle they’d always dreamed of, nothing was more important than protecting the honor of their Lord and King.

So it must be with us.

The more I study the lives of great Christian women, the more I recognize that our American culture (even the Christian culture) so often convinces us that this life is all about us rather than being all about Jesus Christ.  It is my desire, by God’s grace, to make all of my decisions, choices and attitudes based on the question, “How can I honor and glorify my King in this moment?” It’s a deliberate choosing to ignore what my flesh (and this culture) constantly encourages me to do, which is to ask, “What is best for me right now?” or “What do I feel like doing?”

Being a mother of three has offered boundless opportunities to lay down my own agenda and serve others for the glory of God.  Tending to a crying newborn several times a night, and spending my best energies during the changing diapers, pouring juice, and kissing “owies” (instead of taking a nap or relaxing on the couch with a books) are a few small ways I am learning to die to self’s agenda and live a poured-out life for the glory of God.  However, I am convinced that these small victories are preparing for much greater opportunities to take up my cross and follow Him.  After all Christ said, “He who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much.”

I would encourage you to look at the challenging areas of your life.  Are there areas, even small areas, in which God wants to teach you how to lay down your own agenda, die to self, take up your cross and follow Him?  It may not seem like an exciting path at first, but it is the doorway into the fullness of all He has for you.  The heroic women of history past all had to begin living a poured-out life the small areas of their daily existence.  And because they were faithful in little, God entrusted with much.  Are we willing to follow in their footsteps?

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The title is “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” written in 1882 by George Matheson. Matheson said about this hymn:

My hymn was com­posed in the manse of In­ne­lan [Ar­gyle­shire, Scot­land] on the ev­en­ing of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s mar­ri­age, and the rest of the fam­i­ly were stay­ing over­night in Glas­gow. Some­thing hap­pened to me, which was known only to my­self, and which caused me the most se­vere men­tal suf­fer­ing. The hymn was the fruit of that suf­fer­ing. It was the quick­est bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the im­press­ion of hav­ing it dic­tat­ed to me by some in­ward voice ra­ther than of work­ing it out my­self. I am quite sure that the whole work was com­plet­ed in five min­utes, and equal­ly sure that it ne­ver re­ceived at my hands any re­touch­ing or cor­rect­ion. I have no na­tur­al gift of rhy­thm. All the other vers­es I have ever writ­ten are man­u­fact­ured ar­ti­cles; this came like a day­spring from on high.

Here are the lyrics that poured out from Matheson’s encounter with God that night. They are deep. They are rich. Print them out and meditate on them. Be gripped – overwhelmed- as I was, by the Great Love that will not let us go…

1. O Love that wilt not let me go,
   I rest my weary soul in thee;
   I give thee back the life I owe,
   That in thine ocean depths its flow
   May richer, fuller be.
2. O light that foll’west all my way,
   I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
   My heart restores its borrowed ray,
   That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
   May brighter, fairer be.
3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
   I cannot close my heart to thee;
   I trace the rainbow through the rain,
   And feel the promise is not vain,
   That morn shall tearless be.
4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
   I dare not ask to fly from thee;
   I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
   And from the ground there blossoms red
   Life that shall endless be.

Related posts:

1. Love is a Choice
2. Love to Listen